Saturday, August 11, 2018

There is something about August that makes it feel like another January (just with a lot more sunshine and heat waves). Maybe it's all the back to school events, school clothes shopping, and stocking up on school supplies that makes the month seem like a repeat new year.

While our issue is not centered around a main theme, you could consider our fall 2018 articles to be your guide to the new school year, to your new start, whether it is simply another grade or a whole new school altogether. We have articles on fashion, on the public school system, on college decisions, even personality quizzes to help you figure out which popsocket you are in our season of new beginnings (very important information, I assure you).

So join us as we embark on our summertime new year, and head into fall armed with advice and inspiration from the staff here at the Lime Green Giraffe! Enjoy!

Everyone loves back-to-school season: the shopping, the organizing, the
ominous dread of returning to school… And whether you’re preparing for your
first year of middle school or your last year of high school, it’s the perfect
time to give your wardrobe a much needed makeover so you can strut into class
in style! Here are some quick tips for making sure you look your best on your
first day back.

Restocking
Your Closet

When you’re shopping for your fall
wardrobe, you might be tempted to run to the “back-to-school sale” signs and
away from everything else, but first, take a step back and survey your options.

1. Forget about trends

While most fashion magazines boast “the hottest
back-to-school trends”, this article is about making a splash, not following
the tide! If you want to stand out, the best thing you can do is wear what you
like, not what the fashion gods tell you to wear.

2. Something old, something new

If you buy from chain stores like Target and Macy’s,
trends will be impossible to avoid, and you’ll spend a lot of money. Thrift
stores are gold mines full of unique clothes perfect for a small budget.
However, be sure to check their clothing for imperfections; because they are
used, they may have ripped seams, pulled threads, tears in the fabric, etc. Of
course, this doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to buy from your favorite name
brands; your wardrobe should be supplemented with higher-end clothes, but
should skew more towards thrift finds.

3. Express yourself!

Here comes the most important step. Fashion is an art
form, and art is a form of expression. It’s a way of shouting to the rooftops,
“This is who I am, and I’m proud of it!” To find fashion inspiration, create a
Pinterest board or watch lookbook videos on YouTube; you’ll know when you find
a style you really love. It’s also important to remember that you don’t have to
stick to just one aesthetic! Fashion is often most interesting when it’s a
mashup of items one wouldn’t expect to see together.

Putting It Together

You have your dream wardrobe; now it’s time to find
out what clicks and get ready to rule the school!

1. Know your dress code.

Be sure to figure out what you can wear to school and
what your teachers won’t tolerate. No one wants to get dress coded on their
first day of school!

2. Figure out
what goes together

Finding things that go together is often an instinct;
be it color, style, cut, etc., you’ll know when it clicks. If your fashion
instincts are still developing and you need a little help, you may need to
think back to your elementary school lessons on color theory. Remember the
neutral colors, the warm and cool colors, complementary and primary? All those
lessons were preparing you to be the fashion icon you’re becoming!

You’ve finally found it: the perfect
outfit for the first day of school! Brush through your hair one more time,
flash a smile in the mirror, and turn that school hallway into your runway! And
remember, be humble; not everyone has such an amazing fashion mentor.

By: Lime
Green Giraffe Webmaster, Meghan K.

This
year, I had two very strange realizations. One, I’ve been in Girl Scouts for 12-years,
going on 13. I’ve bridged five times. I’m on my fifth uniform after having had
to replace my vest in Seniors because I had too many patches! I’ve earned well
over 100 patches since I was a Girl Scout Daisy. I can’t even count the patches
on my current vest. I have badges on my
vests that don’t even exist anymore.

I
remember the days when Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta was still Girl Scouts of
Northwest Georgia. I took part in the 100th anniversary of Girl
Scouts. I’ve been a Girl Scout for over half my life, and to be honest, I can’t
remember a time when I wasn’t.

The
other realization was I had was that come spring, I’m going to be graduating.
Yes, in May 2019, I will have aged out of Girl Scouts, at least the girl
portion, after 13-years. I’m not sure what’s weirder, knowing that I’ve been
involved in something for almost 13-years or knowing that I’m about to stop doing something that I’ve been part
of for 13-years.

With
this knowledge rattling around inside my brain, I’ve been doing a lot of
thinking about my adventures in Girl Scouting. I don’t have enough time to try
and list them here. And I don’t think you want to sit here for three hours as I
try to recount every meeting I’ve gone to and every outing I’ve been on for the
past decade. But I do have time to share with you some of the lessons that I’ve
learned through Girl Scouts. There have been a lot, and some of them may have been
a little bizarre, but I hope that through sharing the things that Girl Scouting
has taught me, I can show you how much Girl Scouts could mean to you too.

Girl Scout Daisies taught me to find something to shoot for. When I first
joined Girl Scout Daisies, there wasn’t much for us to do. We weren’t allowed
to sell Girl Scout Cookies. We could only earn petals and do activities with
groups that accepted us. Those groups and their activities were limited at
best. So I spent most of my time waiting excitedly to bridge up to Girl Scout Brownies
and watching the older Girl Scouts exploring things that seemed impossible for
me. Older girls were earning their Girl Scout Bronze Award or their Girl Scout Silver
or even their Girl Scout Gold Awards. They were earning badges relating to the
most fascinating things. They were teaching younger girls like me new things. I
couldn’t wait to get there, so I made a lot of promises to myself as a Daisy,
promises that I’m still trying to keep.

Girl Scout Brownies taught methe joys of discovering new things.
Back when I was in Girl Scout Brownies, the badges were still called Try-Its. The
name was pretty self-explanatory. We were supposed to try as many different
things as possible and our goal was to learn something every single time.
Because I absolutely love weird facts, I fell head over heels in love with
earning Try-Its, to the point that I actually made it a goal to earn all of them.
In the end, I earned over 40 different Try-Its, even some from other councils.
I also got into a friendly competition with one of the other girls in my troop
to see who could get the most badges. This all in the name of discovery.

Girl Scout Juniors taught me how to follow my passions and turn them
into something that helps people. Due to some pretty bizarre
circumstances, I only had one year to complete my Girl Scout Bronze Award and
for most of that year, I had no idea what I was going to do. It took weeks of
searching for something that spoke to me as a project. I finally found it. Sewing
my way to the Girl Scout Bronze Award.

After
that it even took longer to find a sewing project that spoke to me. But once I
decided on a project, I fell in love with the idea of using my passions to help
other people and sharing my skills with my friends so that they could help
people too. To this day, every Take Action project I’ve ever done has been
something I’m deeply passionate about and I still find myself trying to use my
skills and hobbies to help people.

Girl Scout Cadettes taught me how to step out of my comfort zone, as
well as how nice it is to fall back in love with something again. I was a
Girl Scout Cadette around the time new badges were released. Right as I
bridged, I was starting to consider quitting. But when the new badges came out,
I found myself wanting to earn all of them. This was something that I hadn’t
cared about since I was a Girl Scout Brownie. Again, just like in Brownies, one
of my friends and I were locked in a competition to see who could earn the most
and who could earn them first.

Also,
most of the more unusual things that I did in Girl Scouts happened in Cadettes.
I went to Girl Scout camp for the first time, took a babysitting course, slept
over at the Tennessee Aquarium, went to the Juliette Gordon Low’s birthplace in
Savannah, helped my sister’s Girl Scout Daisy troop earn a Journey, and even
gave a speech at bridging one year. These are all things I wouldn’t have gotten
to do had I quit after Girl Scout Juniors and wouldn’t have even considered
possible if I hadn’t been in Girl Scouts.

Girl Scout Seniors taught me how to take charge, get organized, and make
things happen. A lot of the activities my troop did as Girl Scout Seniors
were planned by us. Although I didn’t like to be in charge, I stepped up to
plan a lot of the activities we did as Girl Scout Seniors. I planned a camping
trip, coordinated quite a bit of the Journey that I did with my friends, organized
an entire meeting, and that’s just what I can remember! And though it was
sometimes difficult and uncomfortable, I also got to see firsthand what it’s
like to be in a leadership role. I’m not going to deny that leadership is hard.
in fact, it’s one of the most challenging roles that I’ve stepped into but
there’s something magical about being part of the driving force behind
something. It gives you something to be proud of and it motivates you to do the
best you can, and I found myself in love with leading.

Girl Scout Ambassadors (so far!) has taught me to hold onto the dreams I
had when I was younger. Every time I think about Girl Scout Ambassadors
and all the things I’m doing, I find myself thinking of the younger me. The
five-year-old girl who was so excited to be a Girl Scout. The Girl Scout Daisy
who saw an older girl and decided that from that day forward, she was going to
make it through every level of Girl Scouts. Remembering her makes me think of
all the times I’ve considered quitting (it’s nearly impossible to stay in
something so long and not consider leaving it for some reason at least once) and
how I could never bring myself to do it because I couldn’t let that “Little Me”
down. So much of what I’ve done as a Girl Scout Ambassador has fulfilled dreams
I’ve had since I was little. “Little Me” dreamed of making it through every
level of Girl Scouts and I’m inches from achieving it. “Little Me” wanted to earn her Girl Scout Gold
Award, its something I’m working on this year. “Little Me” wanted to spread her love of Girl
Scouts to others and something I’ve done since being a Girl Scout Cadette.

As I go
into my thirteenth year of Girl Scouts, I find myself looking back on the past
decade of my life with a strange feeling of nostalgia. Yeah, some things have
been hard. I’ve considered quitting Girl Scouts a few times. I’ve put myself in
situations I may not necessarily have been totally prepared for, and I’ve found
myself wondering why I stayed so long. But ultimately, I’m proud of what Girl
Scouts has shaped me into. It’s taught me about persistence and determination
and leadership, and I hope that it teaches other girls the same things.

Powered by Girl Scouts!

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About the Lime Green Giraffe

The Lime Green Giraffe is a by-girls for-girls online publication of the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta. We publish two annual issues in August and February in addition to more frequent coverage of special Girl Scout events. Our content focuses on Girls, Info, Reports, Activities, Fun, Friends, and Excitement.